Fourth-and-one at the SMU 39 was the moment the Mustangs had spent the afternoon trying to create. They led Syracuse 27-23 with 1:17 remaining, and a stop would have given SMU possession on downs and a chance to protect the remaining lead.
Instead, Steve Angeli completed a short pass to David Clement, who caught it at the SMU 40 and gained 7 yards to the SMU 32.
Syracuse kept the ball. Sixty seconds later, with 17 seconds remaining, Noah Meyers caught a 2-yard touchdown pass, and the Orange won 30-27 at the JMA Wireless Dome. The final drive was not a single defensive breakdown.
It was a string of manageable opportunities, with the fourth-down conversion serving as the hinge. SMU reached the point where one play could end the possession, then allowed Syracuse to move on.
The possession began because SMU could not protect its lead with the ball. Syracuse had kicked a 26-yard field goal at 5:26 of the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to 27-23. SMU’s ensuing series lasted three plays, lost 6 yards and ended with a punt at 3:36. Syracuse took over with 3:36 left and 68 yards to cover; the drive consumed 3:19.
That was enough time for the Mustangs to make the Orange earn the touchdown. Syracuse did. Ju’juan Johnson gained nothing on first down, but Angeli then completed a pass to Daunte Bacheyie for 7 yards. On third-and-three, Umari Hatcher caught a 13-yard completion to the SMU 48. The first two plays had left Syracuse needing a conversion; Hatcher’s catch carried the drive across midfield instead.
Johnson gained 3 yards on a third-and-four run, bringing up fourth-and-one at the SMU 39. The down was precisely the sort of small-field decision that can turn a late drive into a turnover on downs. Angeli looked for Clement, and Clement’s catch reached the SMU 32.
The completion meant the last yard SMU needed to deny became another first down for Syracuse. The defense had forced the decision it wanted, but the Orange executed well enough to keep the drive alive.
Syracuse then made the space count. Angeli completed a 15-yard pass to Calvin Russell III, moving the ball to the SMU 17, and followed with a 15-yard completion to Bacheyie at the SMU 2. Those throws were efficient rather than theatrical, which is exactly what the situation required.
Angeli finished 21 of 34 for 200 yards and a touchdown, and his closing series showed why Syracuse could keep asking SMU’s defense to answer another question.
The Mustangs still had one final chance near the goal line. Johnson was stopped for no gain on first-and-two at the SMU 2, and Syracuse used a timeout with 19 seconds left. On second-and-two, Angeli completed the touchdown pass to Meyers with 17 seconds remaining.
